Does Delivery Timing Matter in Home Visiting? Comparing Prenatal and Postnatal Enrollment in HANDS

• In Event: Research from Emerging Scholars in Life-Course Criminology

Abstract

The current investigation tested whether delivery timing (prenatal vs. postnatal enrollment) impacted programmatic success of HANDS – the Kentucky statewide home visitation program – on key developmental protective/risk factors for antisocial behavior. Data collected by the Kentucky Cabinet of Family and Health Services on the population of families enrolling on HANDS in 2022-2023 (N = 9,371) were used. To test study hypotheses, repeated measures analyses of variance, standardized mean differences, and path models with observed variables were employed. Within both the prenatal and postnatal enrollment cohorts, small to moderate significant positive mean level changes were found over time in infant sociability, across ages 10, 12, 18, and 24 months, but only from 18 to 24 months in infant verbal skills. In comparisons by cohorts, significantly higher levels of infant verbal skills at age 10 months and of maternal-infant attachment at age 24 months were found in the prenatal enrollment cohort. Based on path analyses, no evidence was found by delivery timing, with one exception. Important positive changes in infant social skills as well as verbal outcomes were found in both cohorts, following the typical patterns of development of general population samples.

Authors

• Tiago Lobo-Dos-Santos, Yazele-Calon Institute / University of Kentucky

• Alexander T. Vazsonyi, University of Kentucky